STILL FALL Y'ALL

 Officially Fall runs well into December, the 21st to be exact. I realize that Christmas lights and trees often go up just minutes after Thanksgiving passes but in my cottage there is no rush to move the pumpkins out the door just yet. If I do put up a tree I do it closer to Christmas eve, and I leave it up through Jan when it's lights brighten up short winter days. No rush on my part to jump into the next Hallmark holiday. I am going to linger in this Fall décor awhile longer. I no longer invite one drop of  holiday stress into my life. Been there, done that. Holiday commercialism drives me bonkers-no thanks.

I have to admit it's been unusually hard for me to get back into the swing of decorating my little vintage farmhouse. Normally I enjoy fluffing up my home especially with the change of the seasons. Not inspired in that way these days. The crumbling state of our world definitely sends me down bunny trails. But GOD!!! I trust in HIM and my only hope is in GOD and HIS word which tells us clearly of things to come. While, the rapid pace of world events should be no surprise to believers it sill feels stressful to me. I often think of  those old radio broadcasts that were interrupt by "this is only a test" message. But this unfortunately is our new realty. I have watched strong Christian friends completely come unraveled in this time. Fighting off spiritual attacks as well as living in this evil and very corrupt world is taking a toll on so many. It is a good vs evil battle for sure. Yet, we are to endure to the end.

 I have been involved in peaceful protesting at schoolboard meetings as well as health department meetings and have been out and about on the streets with props and signs to  give voice to  my free speech rights while there is still time. My days of protests on the UC Berkeley campus for different reasons back in the days have come alive again. Even though I am not a mom, I stand against grammar school children being FORCED to wear face diapers and eventually being forced into taking un constitutional experimental FDA (mafia) toxic clot shots jabbed into their little bodies. I'm for CHOICE  and against the far reaching destructive government mandates. I watch Dan Bongino and he talks about it being time for mass civil disobedience NOW and I could not agree with him any more.  That is what I am passionate about these days, not so much my home décor. 

My home is a place to relax, recharge and most importantly a place to retreat and hide out in the privacy that I so relish. So recently I pushed convinced  myself  to decorate this Fall to create a different inside vibe. I used my white and green colored faux pumpkins and also some gray and white checked fabric ones this year. Of course lots of candles to help create relaxing evenings at home.

I am definitely a non traditionalist when it comes to holidays, perhaps some of that has to do with so many dysfunctional 'family of origin' holiday memories, combined with my effort to not get caught up in commercialism. Now, I embrace and yearn for a quiet, private day to myself when Thanks-giving and Christmas roll around. Being an introvert and also a loner I normally dodge holiday invites in order to retreat and relax with my beloved dogs, add in a good read or movie all in the comfort of my own cozy home, ahhh perfect day!!!

 I don't eat turkey and so I am just not into sitting around a table eating bread out of a dead birds butt. Hey- just being real. Smile. The only dish I like on a traditional Thanksgiving  menu is candied yams or mashed potatoes- no gravy please. That is it. I don't want to see a dead bird, hate stuffing, cranberries and pumpkin pie no matter how I try to fake it. I am done accepting thoughtful invites and wondering how I can go un-noticed for only eating potatoes. Awkward! Am I the only one who just isn't into all that kind of holiday food?  It's stressful to me to be interrogated at a holiday dinner. I do remember the time I truly enjoyed a Thanksgiving meal and it was Swedish style. Salmon, no turkey, seasoned rice, no stuffing,  a beautiful green salad, fresh veggies not killed and hidden under mushroom soup and yep no pumpkin pie. YUMMY !!!. Now that was a  delicious Thanksgiving meal to remember IMO. 

I made delish, Organic, killer tacos topped with mango salsa for Thanksgiving dinner. Later in the day I was gifted with white chocolate dipped strawberries and a huge box of chocolates which consisted of chocolate dipped marshmallow squares, chocolate dipped peanut butter balls, Chocolate dipped mint Oreo's and much more. Who needs a boy friend? LOL. A woman without a man is like a fish without a bicycle. Just sayin.  Okay- I soon need to get back to my 'no refined sugar' lifestyle but for now I am off the wagon and indulging in all that delivered to my door sweet, sweet goodness. 

 Oh yeah, my fav self invented hot drink that I named ' Puerto Rican Hot Apple Pie' is wonderful on chilly Fall and Winter nights. Heat fresh spiced apple cider (not apple juice)  add  Butterscotch Schnapps and top with vegan coconut whipped cream (way better than regular whipped cream).. Sprinkle lots of cinnamon on top  The best ever Fall and Winter Hot drink for chilly nights. Enjoy. 

Thanks to my dear friend who actually made every delish morsel in this box. You are loved and appreciated SO much. 

Not only was I spoiled with these amazing treats but white chocolate dipped dog bones were made for all the children who dress in fur at my home. They devoured them. Thanks so much L & M. You so spoil me. 

I hope that in this crazy world you each find and dwell in pockets of peace. It's hard out here. Stay strong and realize there are 3 types of people in this world. Sheep, Wolves and Sheepdogs. Many are weary trying to wake the sheeple and there comes a time that you will have to leave the sheep and perhaps wake the other lions and dwell in the pride. You woke ones will understand exactly what I am saying. God bless the sheep, God bless the Sheepdogs. Stay strong, stay alert. 

Again and always- remember it is never to late to create a happy childhood. It sure seems harder these days to do that but little by little. 

Happy holidays and Blessings to y'all.

Scroll down to the comment section if you care to share. This blog is a safe place for patriots, proud non vaxers and strong conservatives.

Tonita

Thankful and Blessed

                                                           

Jingle Bells, Jingle Bells.. Yep.. Christmas songs are ALREADY playing on the radio and several porches are lit up with Christmas lights. I am in full out protest of rushing into holidays that are not even on the calendar this month.  I am appreciating pumpkins even more than normal, this November
 21st.

In my last post, I shared my farmhouse porch made up with pumpkins and  Fall fancies, in shades of orange. I  also brought a bit of orange color into the farmhouse cottage this year. After revisiting last Fall's pictures and posting some never shared photos, from last fall, I think it will be the last year that that I will invite the color 'orange' inside my home.

  Below, are a few farmhouse pictures that didn't make it into my Fall (October 2016)  post, where I used (much preferred) neutral tones to usher in the beautiful NC Fall season. You can see those pictures  here.
.

My sweet vintage cow cutting board was scored from an auction for $5.00

Authentic, (sealed) chippy vintage ceiling tin works as my back splash.

I distressed the new zinc counter tops to give them an old time farmhouse look

Rusty roses and little pumpkins rest on my chalk painted vintage mantle

On the mantle, I used French Linen chalk paint by Annie Sloan and then dry brushed it with Old White

 Current pictures (below), of my lil house dressed in splashes of orange. I still think that orange is best suited for Gods perfect decorating, - where it is used in nature,on leaves, fruit, sunsets, lobster mushrooms, flowers and animals to name a few.

A corner of my dining nook

I scored old chippy ceiling tins at an antique mall.  Instantly, I knew they would be perfect as indoor  awnings, above the windows in my dining nook. After having custom corbels made to hang them on, I installed them and added vintage crystals to form a unique fringe. One day, they will have their own blog post with details and better pictures.

Clear vintage saucers for .25 cents each, add interest to the window

A cozy place, where views and meals are enjoyed

Even three TINY orange pumpkins sitting on the window sill are much to bright for my liking. Target practice with tiny pumpkins, hmmmm....Heck yeah....

Toy truck filled with little, itty-bitty, teeny-weeny tiny pumpkins

A 50 cent, ugly sign from goodwill - gets transformed into a mini chalkboard

A sneak peek... of my newly built hood,  made from barn-wood. More about it later.



I hope you all have a wonderful Thanks Giving holiday.
I give praise to my Lord and Savior, Jesus. I am SO  thankful for such a blessed life.
He gives me breath, and I give him praise.

Especially, during these holidays, when you may not find enough hours in your day to do what you think needs to be done, you can still make time to play. Go outside, and skip for a few minutes. No matter your age... the world is your stage. Go on, ... it's okay, skip. It's okay to play... I dare you.  Life is very short, make time to play. Please remember that it is never to late to have a happy childhood.

Happy Fall Y'all.
XO
Tonita

This post is shared with The painted hinge.
and
The Charm of home

 

It's not Christmas, it's November. It's Fall y'all.

 Remembering and yearning for days gone by. The days when Christmas ornaments and candy canes did not appear on retailers shelves until one or two days after Thanksgiving items went on clearance. The same shelves then ushered in Christmas lights, bulbs, Christmas candy and holiday gift items.

                                                                          

  Commercialism of the holidays can certainly side track us. It's overwhelms me to walk down the store isles and see pumpkins, costumes and Christmas do-dads side by side, and often falling off the shelves having already been picked over in September and definitely by Oct.

                                                                    

As we know, Christmas is one of the most enterprising times of year for businesses.Each shop, mall  or website is trying to out do the other in drawing our attention to their business with decorations and advertisements months ahead of  the actual holidays. It takes the fun out it if we buy into it and rush from one holiday to the next instead of taking time to enjoy the day, season or current moment.
                                                                       

                   

I am not an experienced gardener. I had several old boxes of seeds from the dollar store and I literally scattered them over the dirt and they created a simple but beautiful garden for $3.00

Not trying to be a holiday buzz kill, but why are we in such a rush?  Isn't 30 days of Christmas decor enough already?  Have you seen the holiday ornaments that look like a pumpkin on the one side and  on the backside they become Santa's head ornaments.? Or the fence boards that are painted like a snowman on one side and on the flip side is an angel. Now they need to come up with a 3 way ornament to use one side for a heart theme as not to forget Valentines Day. Well those multi holiday ornaments will save us alot of time on decorating our abodes. We can then spend more time on social media or Pinterest, learning about 365 uses for a pine cone.

 One might take a hint from dogs, who dwell in the moment. They can certainly teach us something about life if we just make time to observe them. For a dog, a walk in he woods is not about the destination, it is broken down into sniff size increments of joy and fun. They fully experience every moment.

 After weeding my dollar store wild flower garden yesterday I decided to snap a few pictures of my November flowers in full bloom. I took time to sit on a deck full of colorful leaves instead of being in a hurry to sweep them away. Then I decided to sit a bit, among pumpkins and just take some time to appreciate turkeys everywhere who are are enjoying their last days on earth. To be thankful for the beautiful warm days of November as I'm surrounded with trees dressed in their seasons finest colors.

                                                               

98 cent chrysanthemums fill my flower boxes.

 


Alright, already... on a different note. How does the color orange make you feel? Orange can be a very strong and energetic color.  It  is  attention-grabbing and often used in advertising. Some people describe orange as bright, happy, and uplifting. For me orange is, way too bright and overwhelming. It's a controversial color and I think it is best suited for leaves, pumpkins, oranges, animals, flowers and sunsets. Other than that, I am not such a fan of the color orange.  That being said - only tiny splashes of orange show up inside my home during the fall season.  I have relegated the seasons most popular color (mostly) to my old farmhouse porch, my deck and my flower garden.

I designed this privacy fence around my deck. I incorporated several vintage wavy glass windows into the design. I will add some all weather lace curtains to the windows and possibly some shutters? The theme of my deck area is "Garden Cafe" and I have got some fun plans for this area.


                                                               

                              

This little all metal bistro set was purchased on Craig's list for $75.00. I like that all three pieces fold up flat for easy storage if I want to store them away for the winter months.


                                                                             

If you coat your pumpkins with a layer of any brand of floor polish or soak them in a bleach water solution it will preserve them and they will last much longer than normal, outside. I use a combination of real and faux pumpkins to decorate with. I do not decorate for or observe Halloween and so I pick up real pumpkins after Oct 31st at greatly reduced prices.


                                   

Welcome to my front porch, (below). Here you will see rusty stars, a galvanized farmhouse porch light and a large vintage feed bin that I scored from an old barn stall in WA. They all set the stage for different decor that surrounds them as the seasons as well as my mood changes. The old galvanized metal feed bin also provides lots of great storage options for my porch.


                                     

An old milk can and vintage tractor seat are put to good use as another storage spot (under the seat) and it's also a comfortable place to sit. You may remember that this used to be in my old chicken coop?

I love my old handmade screen door. It is a simple design that sounds so sweet as it swings shut. It whispers 'farmhouse', 'sweet farmhouse' to me every time I hear it squeak upon it's opening or closing.

                                   

    Cheap bandanas add a splash of color when needed. I borrowed them from my dogs necks.




                                                                           
                                                                              

I have a thing for galvanized vintage watering cans. I have a collection of them. Well, I sorta have a crush on all things galvanized. My geraniums are still blooming like crazy this 4th day of October.


                                                      

                                    
                                                                                

                                                                                      

                                                                         

                                                                         

I  recently found some pillow covers at a great price, so I decided to try to like the color Orange a bit more. I added a few pillows to this Victorian Iron child's bed that is a centerpiece on my farmhouse front porch. So, of course the new pillow covers inspired me to re arrange my front porch. I know many of you completely understand just what I mean.


                                                             

 And here we have two of my children who dress in fur. They are not related but one would think so. One was rescued online from Burns flat, Oklahoma. Left on the streets when her previous owners moved. She ended up in a high kill shelter and was scheduled to be put down. She cost me a fortune to rescue her and I did not plan to keep her, but ended up falling in love with her. The girl on the left was destined for a life on a chain. She was left with no food , water or shelter as a young pup and chained up outside. She had been attached by another animal or dog. I freed her from a life on a chain and she just happened to win her way into my heart. One is 3 years old and the other is 10.

 These girls are best friends and are shepherd, cattle dog, and husky mixes. They look like sisters.

                         

    


  

 

                                                                        

 

So, even though I am not a fan of the color orange.. I must say that when my amazing PRESIDENT gets a tan... I like orange more and more. I LOVE PRESIDENT TRUMP and continue to do happy dances on my porch. And every time I hear a liberal squeal, yell, scream and have a meltdown I sing "oh happy day"  because I know our president is  busy trying hard to make America Great Again. Then  I just keep on dancing..... And now to get that swamp drained on both sides.

I do like his shade of orange.

 When I think of the color orange and IMO where it looks best.... Hands down, orange looks best on Killary.  I can't help but have this image (below) on my mind.  And- before anyone gets their panties in a wad and wants to go on a rant, know this- this is not a design blog. Nor do I care if people like or don't like this post. Snowflakes can leave and look at other blogs if offended. I believe liberalism is a mental disorder and I hope one day a cure will be found.  All are welcome here but if you are offended grow a backbone and deal with it. I spent years being offended by O'bummer. If you leave nasty comments remember this, - I will delete them faster than you write them. I believe in free speech but I also don't entertain low information non sense and hate speech comments from liberals. 

               
                                      

Women for Trump and Hispanics for Trump

       DEPLORABLE LIVES MATTER --- YES THEY DO,   I am a deplorable, how bout you?.

Oh, my, my my,.... Martha... did she just say that?  I was just looking at her sweet little farmhouse porch and cute little doggies and now that shabby chic woman went on a political rant. My, my, my.  YEP... That I did. No apology. I am sick and tired of the liberal agenda and all that it stands for, which by the way seems to be against everything that God stands for. I am not afraid to say it loud and clear. And one more side note. I am sick and beyond tired of liberals phobias, attacks and hate of white men, Christians and anything that is related to Jesus.                                 

 I am a Hispanic and a legal one. And I know which bathroom to use. My grandparents came to America to work and contribute to the American way of life. Leaving their country and languages behind. Grandpa joined the Navy and became a United States citizen. He and grandma, like other immigrants of the time were never handed  free medical care or one food stamp.  Nor, were they provided with free attorneys. They were not free loaders or criminals. They came to America  for a slice of the American dream, to contribute instead of suck from our country. I stand strongly for borders, language and culture and building the WALL. 


                                                   Enjoy this beautiful time of year.
          
              Remember, it is NEVER EVER too late to have a happy childhood. Please go play. 


                                                  Tonita